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Become a
Back to the Bays Volunteer or Intern
Today
Volunteering + Internships
Throughout the year, we take on volunteers and interns who wish to contribute their time and hard-working hands on a more regular basis. Back to the Bays Interns and registered volunteers played a crucial role in our successful operation in 2023, and we intend to continue providing select opportunities for dedicated individuals to work alongside our scientists and educators behind-the-scenes. As with all of our public stewardship sessions, volunteers and interns can receive official community service hours for school, or even college credit as needed. If you are interested in committing to an internship or volunteering on a particular project, review our project areas and apply below.
* We have completed selection for our summer 2024 college and high school internships. Due to an abundance of interest this year, we are offering a Stewardship Certificate to those who are interested in volunteering on a regular basis at our Stewardship Sessions.
Back to the Bays Steward Program (NEW 2024!)
You’ll notice that our previous Membership program has been transitioned into a network of Stewards, for 2024. Our hope is that anyone interested in helping us to care for our local waters will sign on as a Steward. The $25 contribution enables us to continue engaging the public in our meaningful restoration work.
Learn more about our Back to the Bays Steward Program
What we do
Maximize Your Impact by Becoming a Back to the Bays Intern
Looking for an opportunity to help Back to the Bays while advancing your career goals? We have internship opportunities year-round.
Back to the Bays Interns gain hands-on experience participating in various CCE Marine Program projects, from aquaculture to habitat restoration to youth education. Interns assist CCE staff in promoting awareness of our restoration work both in person and on social media, and help engage the public at our outreach events, all while developing knowledge and skills in marine science and environmental communication.
Minimum 10 hours/week. Some evening and weekend events will be expected.
Interns must be over 18, except for our Junior Internship Program (see below).
All internships are unpaid at this time, but college credit is available upon request.
If you have questions, contact Volunteer Coordinator, Hazel Wodehouse, at hew57@cornell.edu.
* We have completed our selection for our summer 2024 college and high school interns. If you are interested in Fall internships please email Volunteer Coordinator, Hazel Wodehouse at hew57@cornell.edu.
Intern, Jackie Glaser, holding her first seahorse find during a seahorse population monitoring event.
Read about what our 2023 Interns did last summer, including testimonials, in our blog post.
Junior Internships
We offer an introductory level experience for rising High School juniors and seniors (ages 16-17). Junior Interns will meet once per week at our Tiana Bayside Facility in Hampton Bays. This program will run for about 8 weeks over the summer and is designed to create a learning environment for young aspiring marine stewards. Activities may include assisting with our marine science summer camps, tending to our coastal plant garden, helping with oyster restoration, and studying the coastal habitats of Long Island. Junior Interns are encouraged to attend our public Stewardship Sessions and will be able to assist our staff with setup, cleanup, and helping engage the public in the work they have been learning about.
Questions can be directed to our Volunteer Coordinator.
* We have completed selection for our Summer 2024 Junior Internships. Due to an abundance of interest this year, we are offering a Stewardship Certificate to those who are interested in volunteering on a regular basis at our Stewardship Sessions. View the flyer for more information (links are clickable).
Post-Grad Specialization
We occasionally pair select individuals directly with a CCE staff member working on a focused project in our Habitat or Aquaculture Programs. These opportunities are offered on a case-by-case basis, to highly motivated, independent, and experienced individuals who are seeking a more rigorous internship experience, or are interested in pursuing a particular scientific research question. Preference is given to those who have completed a Bachelor’s degree in marine or environmental science, or a related field. If you think this opportunity suits you, complete an application and email Volunteer Coordinator.
Habitat
Interns specializing in our Habitat Program may focus on:
Eelgrass + Coastal Plant Restoration
Sediment Analysis
Seahorse Monitoring
Required locations: Hampton Bays, Southold, occasionally off-site
Aquaculture
Interns specializing in our Aquaculture Program may focus on:
Oyster Aquaculture
Bay Scallop + Clam Seeding
Site Maintenance + Monitoring
Required locations: Shelter Island, occasionally Southold Hatchery